Oil saver



July 12,-1932. E. w. PATTERSON OIL SAVER Filed Sept. l. 1951 ATTORNEYS.

Patented July 12, 1932 PATENT oFFlcEf .7

EDGAR PATTERSON. LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNA on. savait' Application led Beptemberl, 1931. Serial No. 560,605.

This invention relates to 'an oil saver of the kind adapted to be secured to the upper end of a well casing for the purpose of reventing waste of oil around the cable uring the o erations of drilling, swabbing and hailing. Illore specifically the invention pertains to the type of oil saver inwhich a cap construction which normally closes the upper end of the well casing will be released by a device which is operated when an enlargement formed upon or carried by the cable strikes said device in case the cable and toolsf carried thereby pass beyond their normal upper limit of travel.

An oil savei` of the above character has been described and claimed in my coending application, Serial Number 500,364, led December 5., 1930. An object of the present inf ing device which cooperates therewith, thus further safeguarding against accidental displacement of the head or cap during the normal operations of the cable.

Other objects, advantages and features of invention may hereinafter appear.

Referring to the accompanying drawing which illustrates what is at present deemed to be a preferred embodiment of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a vertical axial section through the oil saver showing the locking device associated therewith in the locked position.

Fig. 2 is a section similar to Fig. 1 showing the parts of the locking device in the unlocked position.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a reproduction on an enlarged scale of the ball-locking portion of the device shown in Figsfl and 2, the balls being shown in the retracted position.

m Referring in detail to the drawing, the upper part 7 of the well casing has screwed thereinto the tubular shank 8 of the oil saving device around the upper end portion of which is fitted the tubular cap 9, said cap in turn being surrounded by the externally threaded packing nut 11. The shank 8 is also externally threaded, an annular coupling member 12 having a screw threaded connection with both t-he shank and packing nut to maintain them in theoperative position.

The shank 8 is provided with an internal annular groove 15 having sloping sides which form inclined surfaces to co-act with the spring arms 17 of the catchbarrel 18. Said catch barrel is externally screw threaded at its upper end and is thereby secured within an internally' screw threaded socket 19 provided therefor within the cap 9. Each of the spring arms 17 of the catch barrel is provided with a thickened lower portion having an outwardly directed mound 21 which corresponds in Shape to the bevelled annular groove 10 with which it cooperates.

The cap 9 is provided with a tubular upper extension 25 to form a packing gland which contains packing 26 held' in place by a retaining nut 27, a gland nut 28 being shown screwed on to the extension 25 of the cap. Below the packing 26 the cap 9 is provided with a contracted axial bore 30 through which the cable 31 reciprocates. Below this bore 95 the cable is provided with an internally screw threaded socket into which is screwed the shank 33 of a thimble 34 which contains a compression spring 35. The lower end ot' said compression spring abuts against the upper end of an internal sleeve 36 which has an enlarged upper part 37 that has a working lit within the lower portion of said thimble.

Said sleeve 36 and thimble 34 are both surrounded by an open ended barrel or sleeve member 40. Near its lower end thimble 34 4is provided with a series of bearing `apertures to receive the bearing balls 41, and the barrel 40 is provided with an internal circumferential groove 4t2 within which said 1w balls are normally seated, the diameters of said balls being uniform and being slightly greater than the thickness o1 the wall of the thimble 34. The lower pntion of the internal sleeve 36 has a wor g t within the lower portion of the barrel 4Q, said barrel being rovided with an internally projecting le ge or shoulder 45 and the internal sleeve being provided with an external aufy nular shoulder 46 which normally rests upon said ledge 45. The diierence in diameter between the enlarged upper portion of the sleeve 36 and the body por-tion of said sleeve is suilicient to' permit, at times, the balls 41 to retract within the internal diameter of the portion of the barrel 40 within which they are seated. Such retraction of the balls can occur only when the internal sleeve 36 has been moved up against the opposition of the s ring a suiiicient distance to permit said alls to engage the body portion of the internal sleeve at its enlargement 37. The lower end of the internal sleeve 36 projects 'sufficiently below the lower end ofthe barrel 40 to cause said balls to be disengaged from the barrel as above stated whenever the lower end of said sleeve is moved up into alinement with the lower end of said barrel. The cable 31 is provided with or attached to the striking part 51 which is adapted at times to lift the internal sleeve 36 with relation to the barrel 40 as just stated.

' end with a diametrical enlargement 40a: thus forming a shoulder 40a which may at times engage the enlarged lower ends of the spring arms 17 The compresion spring 35, which abuts y against the upper end of the inner sleeve 37 l not only normally keeps said sleeve down in 'tion to lock the inner locking device, that is the ball controlled locking device, but said spring also, b means of the engagement of t e annular s oulder 46 with the shoulder 45 of the barrel, normally keeps the barrel down in place to lock the outer locking device. It will therefore be seen that a single spring serves to return both lockingdevices to their normal positions.

Normally there is a clearance 53a: between the lowerends of arms 17 and the barrel 40.

' 4 This clearance is suicient to allow said arms to be sp into contact with the barrel when the latter 1s at the upper limit of its movements.

In preparing the device for use the tubular body 8 is screwed within the top of the well casing 7, and the coupling 12 is then screwed upon the upper end of said body whereupon the packing nut 11 is screwed in place within said coupling. The thimble 34, catch bar@ rel 18 and arts carried by them are next secured withm the nut 9 and the cable is threaded through these parte, then thenut 9 is slipped down' into place together with the parts secured to it. A Y

In operation the-'spring arms 17 normally spring out into engagement with vthe bevelled groove 15 and at the same time the balls 41 reject outwardly into the groove 42, thus orming a double locking means to lock the cap 9 in place. When the cable 31 is drawn up beyond the normal limit of its travel, the part suspended thereby'will strike against the lower end of the internal sleeve 26 thereby moving said sleeve upwardl ,until the balls 41 are permitted to enter the iametrically reduced portion thereof, thus releasing said balls from the groove 42 and unlocking the barrel 40 from thethimble 34. A farther upward movement of the cable will cause the part 50 to engage the lower end of the barrel 40 thereby moving said barrel up until the thickened portions 21 of the s kring arms 17 come opposite to the diametrically reduced portion of the barrel 40,-therelbjy"l permitting said arms to be sprun inwa y from the oove 15 and thus ocking the barrel 40 m the tubular body 8 as shown in Fig. 2. These operations cause the cap 9 to be completely unlocked from the cap 8 and hence said cap may b a still farther upward movement of the ca lebe completely freed from the tubular boda 8.

In the centr portion of Fig. 2 the dotted lines 21a: at each side of the mid-width of the view indicating the distance with, the thickened 4portions 21 of the spring arms 17 move toward the axis of the device morder to free themselves from the tubular body 8, the lockf. ing means is com letely released by the u ward movement o the part 50 carried bytlie cable, as already descri I claim:

1. An oil saver comprising a tubular;` body adzpted for attachment to the upiper. end of a we casing, a cap construction tted to the upper end of said body and having a. passage through which the cable may extend, and.

locking means normally to lock said cap to said body, said lockmg means comprising two concentric members movable with relation to each other both of which are adapted to be. disposed concentrically of the cable, one of sal members normally projecting below the other, whereb a part earned b said cable may engage rst one and then th of said members, said locking means comprising two locking devices one of which is operated b p one of said members and the other of whic is operated .by the other of said members. 

